Stephen hull



S. HULL.

Plate to Mills.

No. 28,373; Patented May 22, 1860.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN HULL, OF POUGI-IKEEPSIE, NEW YORK.

PLATE TO MILLS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 28,373, dated May 22, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN HULL, of the city of Poughkeepsie, in thecounty of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented a new andImproved Mode of Supporting the Movable or Reciprocating Grinding-Platesin Reciprocating Grinding-Mills; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof reference being had tothe accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

The nature of my invention consists in supporting the movable grindingplates in reciprocating grinding mills on rock shafts, for the purposeof lessening the great amount of friction heretofore caused by therubbing of the movable plates on so many boxes as they are drawnbackward and forward on them by means of cranks, and to make the millsmore durable and less liable to get out of order, and also in attachingto portable grinding mills an upright revolving cylinder having a roughor grating surface for the purpose of shelling corn fro-1n the cobs, andfor grating or grinding potatoes and other roots to mix with the mealafter it is ground.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

I make my rock shaft (A) of metal from about four to eight inches inlength and about the thickness of one of the stationary grinding platesFig. with two bearings as seen on Fig. (2) at (a) and at right angleswith it. These bearings are made to work in holes or eyes (6 6) made inthe projections on the edges of the movable plates as seen in Fig. (3)at (b) at or near the middle of the grinding part of the plates oneither the upper or lower edge. At the other end of the rock shaft or atabout five inches from the hearing, at (a) I make on eye or two otherbearings for the rock shaft to rock or work on. These bearings work .inholes or eyes (D D) as seen in Fig. (1) in projections made on the loweredges of the stationary plates Fig. (4:), but when I make the rock shaftwork above the plates through slots made in the top of theon the top ofthe frame (E) while the bearings at (a) in the lower end of the rockshaft support two of the movable plates so that two rock shafts are madeto support the four movable plates in a double mill whether they areused above or below the grinding plates. In my model and drawings, Ihave put one rock shaft above and the other below the grinding platesbut they should be both either above or below the grinding plates in thesame mill.

I make my cylinder (I) Fig. (1) (which I attach to grinding mills forshelling corn grating or grinding potatoes and other roots while themill is grinding so that they may be mixed with the meal as it isground) of thin cast iron plates about sixteen or eighteen inches longand about four or five inches wide, so that small diamond shaped pointsabout one fourth of an inch high may be cast on the outside to make arough grating surface on the outside of the cylinder. These pointsshould be in spiral rows about two inches apart and about one inch apartin the rows and should wind around the cylinder from the bottom towardthe top in the same direction the cylinder is made to run, so that theywill draw the ears of corn through. The plates are fastened to roundheads about eight inches in diameter, in the center of each of theseheads is fastened an axis (J J) on which the cylinder turns in anupright position or nearly so as seen in Fig. (1) on the upper end ofthe axis is fastened a small bevel pinion that is driven by anotherbevel wheel (e) about twice the size which is fastened on the crank ormain shaft of the mill.

I make one or more spring hoppers (m) at the side of the cylinder asseen at (m) Fig. 1) to press the ears of corn, and potatoes against thecylinder these spring hoppers are fastened to the upper ends of the bars(K K) of the frame that holds the cylinder to the frame of the mill andsupports one corner of it instead a leg.

I do not claim to be the inventor of rock shafts as they have long beenin use; nor of the movable or stationary grinding plates to grindingmills as they were invented by Gelston Sanford; nor of a cylinder havinga rough or grating surface; but

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The arrangement of rock shafts AFig. (2) to support the movable grinding plates to reciprocatinggrinding mills when used above the grinding .plates and a when one rockshaft is made to support two movable plates, and also the arrangement ofrock shafts (A) Fig. 2 to support the movable nearly so in combinationwith portable grinding mills substantially as and for the purposesherein set forth.

' 3. The cylinder with the diamond points in spiral rows in combinationwith spring hoppers when the cylinder is made to run in an uprightposition or nearly so substantially as herein set forth and for thepurposes described.

* HULL.

Witnesses: r f

-A. M. BRUSH, v THOMAS HULL.

